How do you know when you need a heavier bat?

[elizabeth]

My daughter just turned 13 and on a 12U team. Last year my daughter was swinging way too late and striking out most of the time. We were told to get the lightest bat possible. That made a difference and we gradually upped the weight til she was using her heavier bat again. Now, it is a year later and we have a different problem. Every time she is up to bat she is swinging early and pulls everything to the left. Sometimes it is right down 3rd base line which is great but mostly she just keeps fouling to the left over and over again. She has an Easton Clarity and it is a 32/23. Is it time to get a heavy bat?? Thanks

Elizabeth

 

[bosoxfan]

To me a 23 once bat for a 13 year old sounds heavy.
Have her hold the bat where she would put her bottom hand on the handle. Now with the one hand hold the bat straight out horizontal to the floor. If she can't hold it for 20-30 seconds without her hand dropping it's too heavy for her.

 

[jinjet95]

Most 13 year olds don't handle a -9 well. It sounds as if it's more a timing issue, not the weight of the bat.

 

[mkral]

I agree with Bosoxfan. Also how tall is she? That too has some bearing on bat size.

 

[elizabeth]

She is 5 foot tall. She is a pitcher and has a very strong forearm, so she can hold the bat out for 30 seconds with no problem. About a month ago she was smacking the ball to the fence with no problem and just here recently in the past couple of tournaments she has been having this pulling to the left issue. It could be a timing issue. I just wondered if anyone else has had a similar problem? Thanks

Elizabeth

 

[mkral]

She possibly is simply getting around on the ball more efficiently then she was before, it is hard to say. But for her height I would not say she is in need of a heavier bat IMHO. I have several girls on our team that we have changed their swings to be much more efficient and they are ahead of everything right now. It is getting better but it is a timing thing.
Good Luck
Mike

 

[derekpeck]

maybe pulling her head a little also.

 

[Daddy O]

No hitting expert here but sounds like she may be casting her hands and hitting the outside of the ball, if that makes sense. Make sure she is keeping the knob of the bat inside the path of the ball and the hands don't go out over the plate and then come back in during her swing. Pretty obvious if you view her hitting from the umpire position. Rather than having him repeat it all over again (which I am sure he would be happy to) search for posts from Hitter. There are others on here with good suggestions but Hitter breaks it down into simplest terms. Good Luck.

 

[SBFAMILY]

It is when you release the angle of the wrist and rotate as needed. Where is her belly button pointing at contact? I have a kid that can't understand why she almost kills the third base coach every time at bat. Her belly button is pointing at the third base dugout. What Daddy O posted could be true. I use the whiphit to test this. She will noramally miss the ball, if she is doing this. DD still has 2/3 of a ball that we cutoff on her bag. It reads always aim for the inner 2/3 of the softball. I was a visual thing Howard can explain when he was in China. Why pitchers throw a change up to power hitters, they over rotate and hit the ball out front, pulling it. This should help and I will let Howard as Daddy O stated explain further.

 

[stephanie]

I have a player who consistently swings too early and hits fouls past third base line...we moved her up in the box, and her hits are in the lines now...She still has her timing problem, which her pitching coach is working on, but her confidence is getting better since she's getting hits.

My bat story from last night:
11 yo, as tall as me
9yo, comes up to my chest
11yo has been using a 17oz bat while the 9 yo had a 21 oz bat. neither are hitting the ball. I gave each of them the other girls bat last night, and they both started connecting with the ball...
Sports stores around here will LOVE me today, since both parents saw the light last night..